WRIGHT (Edward)

, a noted English mathematician,
who flourished in the latter part of the 16th
century, and beginning of the 17th; dying in the
year 1615. He was contemporary with Mr. Briggs,
and much concerned with him in the business of the
logarithms, the short time they were published before
his death. He also contributed greatly to the improvement
of navigation and astronomy. The following
memoirs of him are translated from a Latin paper in
the annals of Gonvile and Caius college in Cambridge,
viz, “This year (1615) died at London, Edward
Wright of Garveston in Norfolk, formerly a fellow of
this college; a man respected by all for the integrity
and simplicity of his manners, and also famous for his
skill in the mathematical sciences: so that he was not
undeservedly styled a most excellent mathematician by
Richard Hackluyt, the author of an original treatise
of our English navigations. What knowledge he had
acquired in the science of mechanics; and how usefully
he employed that knowledge to the public as well as
private advantage, abundantly appear both from the
writings he published, and from the many mechanical
operations still extant, which are standing monuments
of his great industry and ingenuity. He was the first
undertaker of that difficult but useful work, by which
a little river is brought from the town of Ware in a
new canal, to supply the city of London with water;
but by the tricks of others he was hindered from completing
the work he had begun. He was excellent
both in contrivance and execution, nor was he inserior
to the most ingenious mechanic in the making of instruments,
either of brass or any other matter. To
his invention is owing whatever advantage Hondius's
geographical charts have above others; for it was
Wright who taught Jodocus Hondius the method of
constructing them, which was till then unknown; but
the ungrateful Hondius concealed the name of the
true author, and arrogated the glory of the invention
to himself. Of this fraudulent practice the good man
could not help complaining, and justly enough, in the
preface to his treatise of the Correction of Errors in
the Art of Navigation; which he composed with excellent
judgment, and after long experience, to the
great advancement of naval affairs. For the improvement
of this art he was appointed mathematical lecturer
by the East-India Company, and read lectures in the
house of that worthy knight Sir Thomas Smith, for
which he had a yearly salary of 50 pounds. This
office he discharged with great reputation, and much
to the satisfaction of his hearers. He published in
English a book on the doctrine of the sphere, and another
concerning the construction of sun dials. He also
prefixed an ingenious preface to the learned Gilbert's
book on the loadstone. By these and other his writings,
he has transmitted his same to latest posterity.
While he was yet a fellow of this college, he could
not be concealed in his private study, but was called
forth to the public business of the nation, by the queen,
about the year 1593. [Other accounts say 1589.]
He was ordered to attend the earl of Cumberland in
|
some maritime expeditions. One of these he has given
a faithful account of, in the manner of a journal or
ephemeris, to which he has prefixed an elegant hydrographical
chart of his own contrivance. A little before
his death he employed himself about an English
translation of the book of logarithms, then lately discovered
by lord Napier, a Scotchman, who had a great
affection for him. This posthumous work of his was
published soon after, by his only son Samuel Wright,
who was also a scholar of this college. He had formed
many other useful designs, but was hindered by death
from bringing them to perfection. Of him it may
truly be said, that he studied more to serve the public
than himself; and though he was rich in fame, and in
the promises of the great, yet he died poor, to the
scandal of an ungrateful age.” So far the memoir;
other particulars concerning him, are as follow.

Mr. Wright first discovered the true way of dividing
the meridian line, according to which the Mercator's
charts are constructed, and upon which Mercator's
sailing is founded. An account of this he sent from
Caius college, Cambridge, where he was then a fellow,
to his friend Mr. Blondeville, containing a short table
for that purpose, with a specimen of a chart so divided,
together with the manner of dividing it. All
which Blondeville published, in 1594, among his Exercises.
And, in 1597, the reverend Mr. William
Barlowe, in his Navigator's Supply, gave a demonstration
of this division as communicated by a friend.

At length, in 1599, Mr. Wright himself printed
his celebrated treatise, intitled, The Correction of certain
Errors in Navigation, which had been written many
years before; where he shews the reason of this division
of the meridian, the manner of constructing his
table, and its uses in navigation, with other improvements.
In 1610 a second edition of Mr. Wright's
book was published, and dedicated to his royal pupil,
prince Henry; in which the author inserted farther
improvements; particularly he proposed an excellent
way of determining the magnitude of the earth; at
the same time recommending very judiciously, the
making our common measures in some certain proportion
to that of a degree on its surface, that they might
not depend on the uncertain length of a barley-corn.
Some of his other improvements were; The Table of
Latitudes for dividing the meridian, computed as far
as to minutes: An instrument, he calls the Sea rings,
by which the variation of the compass, the altitude of
the sun, and the time of the day, may be readily determined
at once in any place, provided the latitude be
known: The correcting of the errors arising from the
eccentricity of the eye in observing by the cross-staff.
A total amendment in the Tables of the declinations
and places of the sun and stars, from his own observations,
made with a six-foot quadrant, in the years
1594, 95, 96, 97: A sea-quadrant, to take altitudes
by a forward or backward observation; having also a
contrivance for the ready finding the latitude by the
height of the pole-star, when not upon the meridian.
And that this book might be the better understood by
beginners, to this edition is subjoined a translation of Zamorano's
Compendium; and added a large table of the
variation of the compass as observed in very different
parts of the world, to shew it is not occasioned by any
magnetical pole. The work has gone through several
other editions since. And, beside the books above
mentioned, he wrote another on navigation, intitled,
The Haven-finding Art. Other accounts of him say
also, that it was in the year 1589 that he first began to
attend the earl of Cumberland in his voyages. It is
also said that he made, for his pupil, prince Henry, a
large sphere with curious movements, which, by the
help of spring-work, not only represented the motions
of the whole celestial sphere, but shewed likewise the
particular systems of the sun and moon, and their circular
motions, together with their places and possibilities
of eclipsing each other: there is in it a work for a
motion of 17100 years, if it should not be stopt, or
the materials fail. This sphere, though thus made at a
great expence of money and ingenious industry, was
afterwards in the time of the civil wars cast aside,
among dust and rubbish, where it was found, in the
year 1646, by Sir Jonas Moore, who at his own expence
restored it to its first state of perfection, and deposited
it at his own house in the Tower, among his
other mathematical instruments and curiosities.

This text has been generated using commercial OCR software,
and there are still many problems; it is slowly getting better
over time. Please don't reuse the content
(e.g. do not post to wikipedia)
without asking liam
at holoweb dot net first (mention the colour of your socks in the mail),
because I am still working on fixing errors.
Thanks!